Tuesday, June 19, 2007

How quickly the cleaning-bug hits! With one single phone call, I discover that we will be hosting my brother/sister-in law and their children for a few days next week as they need a place to stay while their daughters ride in the Tanbark Horse Show at the Minnesota State Fair. With five extra people in our home for four days, I will need to tackle every room in my house! For a procrastinator, this will require a laser beam focus....and perhaps a few of those portable storage bins!

So today, instead of lounging on my back porch reading my most recent book, The Prodigal Comes Home, by Michael English, I will be tackling my summer-ready home and making it guest ready! There's a huge difference! Summer-ready is simply making sure that all of our summer clothes are clean and ready for any spontaneous adventure we may go on! Guest ready is removing all piles of clothes waiting for said adventure, filling the refrigerator with more than a gallon of milk and butter (toast is a good summer-ready breakfast and of course, the age-old standard macaroni and cheese will suffice for any meal!) and of course, tackling each of the three bathrooms and finding the matching towels....in the piles of miscellaneous items to be put away when Fall arrives! Who needs towels in a guest bathroom when you are on a summer adventure!

Before I tackle these, however, should you not be the procrastinator that I am and find yourself with time to read; I highly recommend Michael English's book, The Prodigal Comes Home. Remember Michael English?

Grammy-winning singer, Michael English performed with the Goodman's, the Gaither Trio, and the Gaither Vocal band. As a soloist artist he won multiple Dove Awards before his fall into adultery and addiction. This compelling book is his story of healing, in his words, "a story for every one of us who knows what it means to feel lost and in need of a Father who will welcome us home." It is his very raw, very real story of God's supernatural redemption power.

To this point, it is not the best book I have ever read on the subject of prodigals--there are a few too many 'girlfriends' for my taste and I am waiting to find out the redemptive piece with his ex-wife. I only have 30 pages to read until the end....and it is going to take every ounce of my willpower to NOT finish this book before I tackle my house! Looks like I may need a little of that supernatural power myself to stay on task! That being said, The Prodigal Comes Home, is a worthy read--as Michael English says, for "This is a story about a God who refused to let a man destroy himself. Who reached down to rescue me even when I was literally wallowing in my own filth. Who saved me so that I could tell others."

Nothing motivates me to get the house clean than out-of-town company. It's amazing what one can accomplish when one puts one's mind to it :-)The book sounds interesting. I've seen him recently with Bill Gaither again. He (Bill) seems to always be the first one to welcome those who have fallen back into the "fold". I admire that. I am far too flawed to ever want anyone to be judged and cast aside for good.Happy cleaning - and then enjoy your company.

My hubby's cousin and his wife are coming on Saturday for just a few hours and it's sent me into cleaning mode - I can't imagine if I were having guests stay over! That would do it for sure! Hope you get everything accomplished and still have time to read. If I had time to read, I'd probably read that book - I loved ME's music!

Happy cleaning! I trust you'll find a window of time to sneak a peak at the remaining pages of your book by Michael English. I was just reading about Ruth Bell Graham's life, and I gather she had a prodigal daughter--also named Ruth. (I assume you know th story?). Like English, the Graham's daughter, Ruth has written a book about her two divorces. It is wonderous how God can heal even after such terrible experiences. :~)